Mon Cendrillon
by AkumaCrimson
Summary: AU. Kanda, butler to the Nine family, gets the chance to escape his cruel fate when an announcement by the King of Millennium of a masquerade was sent out. Full Summary inside. TyKan.
1. Invité

AkumaCrimson here with a new fanfic! I was bored so I got this idea when I was talking with my friend, and pondering that there wasn't a TyKan version of Cinderella! So yeah, I made one. The title is French for "My Cinderella," if you were wondering. No, this won't be crack, it will be angsty romance. X3 Ah, I never find a lot of my stories funny, after all. Except for the cross-dressing. Also note that since I'm a big fan of Vocaloid, I was planning on making this like the Cendrillon with Miku and Kaito singing. Assassin!Kanda and Prince!Tyki would have been nice, but oh well. Let's just stick to Butler!Kanda. Oh, and this chapter's title means "Guest" in French.

**Pairing: **Tyki x Kanda. Side pairings may be added.**  
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**Warnings: **Yaoi, Cussing, More Cross-dressing, OOC-ness, Some Fluff (If you could call all the romance and drama that), Somewhat crack, Maybe Mature content later on.

**Summary: **There is always a time in life where chances come and go, where people make the wrong decisions and try to reach for the chance of a lifetime that would change the outcome of who they were thought to be. It is there that Kanda, butler to the Nine family, gets the chance to escape his cruel fate when an announcement by the King of Millennium of a masquerade was sent out. That and the prince was looking for his bride to be. It just so happens that Kanda had caught Tyki's full undivided attention, even if he didn't mean for such misconduct to ever happen. Great.

**Disclaimer: **I, of course, do not own -man, Cinderella, or Vocaloid. They belong to their respected owners.

* * *

**Invité**

There is always a time in life where chances come and go, where people make the wrong decisions and try to reach for the chance of a lifetime that would change the outcome of who they were thought to be. There are others who are willing to sacrifice anything to escape the chains of destiny surrounding them, binding them to the miserable fate they were destined to live in. Only a few chosen could get up and grasp the great opportunity in a vice grip, changing themselves to the perfect image of someone that is special in all of the people's borne hearts. That is where we meet one boy, one who gets the chance to change his life around with just a small push of his back and by a shining silver mask in his hand.

* * *

_Dear Honored Guest,_

_ We have come bearing this message into your household. In the twentieth day of this month, in the 22nd__ hour, the King of Millennium has announced that he would hold a masquerade ball in his castle. It is there that his son, Prince Tyki Mikk, would choose his bride to be among the many women attending the ball. Though, as it is a masquerade, it is required to wear a mask and never reveal one's identity until past midnight when the party is over. We require you to bring all of the lovely ladies in your household – be it a servant, daughter, whatever – to the party. We are desperate in finding an appropriate bride to the prince as soon as possible, one that is fitting for him. We hope that you and the other women in the household join us for the party._

_Signed,_

_The King of Millennium_

Kanda rolled up the scroll and tucked it underneath his arm, placing the tray filled with the usual lunch on it onto the small coffee table, looking to the three ladies in the room to see what kind of reaction they all have. He knew, as the butler to the household, to always remain patient with his mistresses even if they were being annoying as hell. He didn't have a big problem with his step-mother Klaud, being the ever persistent and collected one out of everyone in the mansion. Apparently, most of his younger siblings (or step-sisters) had inherited his father's rather sardonic and perplexed ways, or in other terms, being weird enough to essentially creep the fuck out of people. Either that or just scare them away into never coming back. That was mainly what Kanda and Road did.

Reactions from the three women were all the same: excitement. They did not show it physically (maybe Road did), but rather, their eyes spoke in volumes for them.

"Hooray, a masquerade! And they want a bride for the prince Tyki!" Road exclaimed happily, getting all psyched up for the masquerade the message had mentioned. Her older sister, Lenalee, had to prevent from also squealing out loud like her, wanting to look educated and calm just like their mother. She still had to admit that it sounds rather exciting! Last but not least, their mother Klaud could only continue petting her small pet monkey Lau with her lithe fingers, feeling the creature's tail wag happily as she rubbed on its head with a gentle caress. She could care less about the prince, seeing that she was already married, but it seems her interests were still perked up by the message.

Kanda had to refrain from rolling his eyes at that moment, moving the cups of tea out of harm's way from Road's dangerous swings with her strange pumpkin umbrella. He wasn't in the least bit interested in things such as balls and such, better yet that it was an event for 'picking out' a bride for the prince. He was concerned with the way Lenalee was looking at him with an unseen glint in her eye, the way Road had promptly stop swinging her umbrella and whisper something to her sister, the way his step-mother had stopped petting Lau with her ring-covered hand and join in with her daughters, and the way all three were staring at him as if they had gotten this strange, but brilliant idea.

Kanda only coughed into his fist, placing the last of the tea cups back on the tray and made to straighten himself in front of the others.

Lenalee was the first to break the silence. "So mother, are we going shopping for new clothes for it?"

"Of course. There is also the fact we need some masks for it too."

"I know just the thing to get the prince interested!"

When it escalated to more chatter in the room, Kanda went ahead and left silently, getting out of the mansion to get the carriage ready for his mistresses. He knew they will go out and shop later on, so why not ready it in advance? Great, he has to be dragged into town carrying all the stuff for them. Man, he didn't get why girls can shop a lot. He did mean _a lot_, especially with Lenalee in the lead. He also had this deep feeling in his gut that something really bad was about to happen, not to the world in general, but to him. He always hated that type of insecurity, such blasphemy.

Kanda shook the thought off his head as he opened the stables, muttering under his breath about well, something. Like why the hell are they shopping if the masquerade was what, five days away from now? _Women....

* * *

_

The inside and outside of the imperial castle was fashionably decorated with multiple ornaments and such, in a way that somewhat made the establishment stand out even more than it already did. Servants scrambled all over the castle, every place filled with at least one servant setting up decorations. The prince could only gaze around with his golden eyes, sighing as he made his way to the stables to where his black stallion was usually kept.

Tyki was the least bit happy about all this. It was bad enough that the King wanted him to get married and take over the throne or something like that, but worse is that he was inviting every single fucking family to this stupid ball! It was going to be mayhem for him! Curse all those ladies who even try to seduce him, trying to kiss up their way to the throne with their looks and sweet manners; it just makes him boil for a while. Tyki knew he was supposed to act respectful for the aspect of retaining their reputation, but it was kind of hard to do just that. He wanted someone special, someone who wasn't the least bit annoying like other court ladies are supposed to act.

Entering into the small stable that was filled with hay and horses, Tyki went on ahead to his horse out of the dozens stored inside, careful to not step over the fallen items so as not to trip on them. Once he had reached over to his horse, the male went and gave it a pet on its head and took the reins hanging by the side and laid it on his stallion. The animal only neighed and moved for a little bit, but other than that it did not make a move on the prince. Opening the double doors wider, the Portuguese man led the creature out of the stables and hopped onto it, making himself comfortable above the animal. Tyki narrowed his eyes and looked out to the gates that separated the city from the castle, noting that it was currently opened so as to let in the cargos ordered by the king for the masquerade. Good opportunity to get some fresh air outside of the castle walls.

Tyki went ahead and lead his black stallion down the path to the gate entrance, passing by merchants carrying the cargo. They all waved at the prince, who in turn waved back at them, despite holding onto the reins of the horse. His stallion coursed through the crowds, skidding gracefully back and forth so as to avoid running into anyone. Once he reached the gate, almost every merchant was fully inside the castle grounds, though a few were still at the other end of the open gate. Saluting over to the guard who kept it open, Tyki went on ahead and went through the gate, knowing that the guards knew he was only going out to get a fresh breath of air in the city. He always did this so as to escape his father, that and calm down his raging nerves.

The male pulled at the reins to his stallion, which in turn made it stop abruptly and slow down its movements, hooves clinking on the rock terrain of the city. As Tyki entered into the streets of the town, he went down from his place on his horse and guided it over to a nearby station for tying up horses, feeling the rope was tight enough so that no one would be able to steal the animal. After placing his stallion's basket of hay next to it, Tyki wandered off into the bustling market place. It was crowded with people, mostly women shopping around clothing stores, probably for the masquerade the King was going to hold. The male's eyes darkened at the thought, but he continued to walk through the crowds, glad that most didn't notice him. Eh, so maybe wearing those stupid glasses and messing his hair up a bit really did work in camouflaging himself.

When Tyki had reached a certain area with a small fountain in the middle, not as crowded as the other places were, he heard the faint sounds of someone singing nearby. It wasn't just any normal person who was a complete amateur at it; that voice, whoever it was, sounded like a really good singer. The Portuguese man stopped in his tracks, opening his ears to the soothing melody that filled the area. He noted that the voice was low in pitch, which would mean it was none other than a guy singing, but it still held the alluring serenity that any female voice had. As if in a trance, Tyki followed the beautiful voice, wanting to know who the source of such a magnificent play was.

He didn't know what he would do when he found the source of such a melodious tune. Watch from the shadows as the singer finished the song? Applause? _What? _He might as well go with the latter, seeing as he didn't want to scare someone while they were singing like that. As Tyki followed the alluring voice, it got louder and louder until he reached upon this clearing, with another fountain like that in the place he was before, this time it had a few trees here and there. There was also the fact that a teen was sitting down near the fountain, fingering a bright crimson rose in his delicate fingers. The prince hid behind a tree so as not be spotted by the teen. The male was wearing a tuxedo, one that would think it as a butler uniform, dark locks of hair tied together in a high ponytail, two strands coming down to frame his pale face. So that was the person singing...? Tyki also noted that the male's gaze wasn't intently focused on his surroundings, only on that flower he held in his hand.

_...A thousand dreams_

_trickle back to the earth_

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling,_

_the shining you was born_

_Across millions of years,_

_let the prayers be returned back to the earth_

_I will still continue to pray_

_Please show this child what love is_

_Hands sealed with a kiss_

Kanda was silently gazing to the red rose he held in his hand, remembering the song he listened to almost every day when he was young. He missed those days of sweet ignorance, the times when he bickered with the moyashi and the baka usagi, of the times when his father would smile intently at him in his gentle yet awkward way, and of the other times he was free to do whatever he wished. It was a wonder he still remembered that song the moyashi always played to him and the other redhead, even though he never saw them again after that incident.

_Hands sealed with a kiss..._ Kanda ended the song there, sighing in an irritated manner when he knew he wasn't supposed to be fucking singing in the middle of town. There could have been anyone who was listening! Well, the good thing was he was away from those money spenders in the time being.

Tyki could only stare at the boy in amazement, his golden irises taking in the expression of calmness turn into irritation. It was astoundi–

The prince suddenly stepped on a twig on the ground, making a snapping noise that resounded through the area. He saw the teen sitting on the fountain tense and raise his head to look frantically around his surroundings. Shit, he was found out! Tyki could see that the dark-haired teen was intent on looking for the person who stumbled upon him singing, feeling the murderous aura radiate from the boy. "Who's there?" Kanda asked, gripping the flower tightly until his knuckles turned a deathly white. He knew it wasn't a good idea to sing!

Tyki knew it was no use in hiding. Sooner or later, he would be found by the younger teen. Peering over the tree, Tyki took notice of how the teen turned to glare at him, before giving out a small click of his tongue and turning away. That was it? Huh, what did that mean for Tyki then?

"Hey boy, your voice sounded really great." The prince commented, fully revealing himself to the teen and idly offered the other a momentary grin. Kanda only crossed his arms over his chest, still holding the rose in one hand. He didn't think it would be some random bystander that just happened to stumble upon him singing. If it was one of his step-sisters or mother, he was seriously going to kill them for ever living to hear him sing. Not like he can do anything without Mugen though, since he had left it in the carriage.

Tyki fumbled with his pockets for a while, the silence filling the air with tension, finding his pack of cigarettes and taking one out, gesturing the packet to the other teen. Kanda only raised his hand in a gesture to decline, the older man shrugging and placing the packet back into his pocket. Taking out his silver lighter, he lighted the cigarette and started to inhale the smoke, exhaling it while looking up at the clear sky. "So boy, what's your name?" He asked, noticing that the other was idly scanning him in an up and down manner before answering.

"It's Kanda."

"Kanda? I'll take note of that." Tyki responded, exhaling another air of smoke out into the air. Kanda seemed to be disturbed by the way he was exhaling the smoke, seeing as his brows were furrowed and his dark blue eyes narrowed at the prince, but the boy didn't say anything. "Well, I'll see you around then, Kanda." The Portuguese man said, before turning around on his heel and promptly left.

He heard footsteps behind him before the same voice of the teen's yelled at him from over a distance away. "You didn't tell me your fucking name!"

Tyki could only chuckle at such impudence for a butler. It couldn't hurt to toy with the boy's mind, no? Turning around to place his golden gaze on the teen, he gave out a grin and said, "Tyki Mikk."

* * *

_The day of the masquerade..._

"Hey Kanda-kun! Could you go get my slippers for me?"

"Yeah yeah, Lenalee. Damn, why the hell can't you go get them yourself?"

"It's hard to do that with this dress on!"

"...." Kanda could only roll his eyes at the excuse the other had said, looking about for the pair of dark slippers the Chinese girl would usually wear whenever she attended any parties or balls. He was used to seeing the girl's room in such a mess as this, so it didn't take long to find those damn slippers out of all the clothes thrown randomly on the ground. Kanda tossed the pair over to Lenalee, who was currently fixing up her dress by the large mirror she had standing next to the canopy bed, saying a small thanks to the butler as she caught both of her slippers in hand. Kanda only scoffed and decided to wait near the entrance to Lenalee's room until both of the young ladies in the house were ready for the party. He already knew that his step-mother was ready, being one to always finish first for preparations to any party. Kanda brought out his silver pocket watch from out of one of his pockets on his jacket, opening it with a small click. 9:20 pm. 40 more minutes before the party starts.

Just then, there was another girl, this time a bit smaller than Lenalee, who ran inside the room, rummaging through the Chinese girl's closet with excruciating speed. Kanda only gave out a hefty sigh as he watched the two women squabble around the room like little pests. This is why he can never figure out the nature of women, not even if he tried. What was so important with parties anyway?

"Kanda! Where is my headband? You know, the pink one!" The smaller girl had asked, which in turn made Kanda visibly twitch under his dark locks of hair. "Road, it was in the second drawer in the dresser inside your fucking room." He exclaimed rather irritably, about ready to storm off into a fit if these two _ladies_ wouldn't hurry their asses up and get ready. Well, it was good to know Lenalee was about finished in preparing herself, adding her masquerade mask on that was a dark green and had an exotic style to it, more on the verge of a European theme. Meanwhile, Road had taken off yet again in her pink and purple dress and white boots, probably going to find her headband in the place Kanda had directed her to.

In the meantime, the Japanese teen lead Lenalee down the flight of stairs inside the mansion and down to the living room, where his step-mother Klaud Nine had situated herself in, petting her small pet monkey Lau Jimin that was idly laying on her lap, a serene calmness on her expression. She was dressed in her usual elegant robes, having her light brown hair up in its usual ponytail. Kanda also noted she was wearing a dark English mask that was filled with silver feathers at the side, adorned with pearls at the rims of the eyeholes. He always hated balls, especially if it was a masquerade at that. It only made him relieved that he wasn't going with them to the castle. At least, that was what he thought. His mother would throw a fit if he showed any disrespect and such to royalty, especially to the King and his son. Right, and the other reason he didn't want to go was to see the face of that Tyki Mikk again after he had heard him singing in the middle of town five days earlier! _That fucking bastard..._

"Mother! You look absolutely astounding! What do you think?" Lenalee exclaimed, giggling when she twirled around in her spot, Klaud only giving her a smile and saying something about looking good. The girl was wearing a normal dark dress, but her usual ponytails were curled to make it look more fashionable. She also had her mask on and a small purse situated on her right hand. It was true that such a dress was so simple, yet it looked to fit the girl's personality.

Kanda only rolled his eyes yet again and went ahead to exit the mansion so to get the carriage ready. Just as he was about near the door, he heard the small footsteps of Road coming down the stairs, calling his name out in a rather loud way. Maybe just to annoy him, he did not know. The small girl was wearing the purple and pink dress that reached up to her knees, boots clanking on the wooden floor rather noisily, her purple rose headband situated on her head. Well, at least she got to find it in time. There was also her mask, which was also a violet in color, and about the same style as Klaud had, but this time it wasn't on her face. She held the end of her mask in one hand.

The butler turned from his place on the huge double doors, glaring at Road for daring to interrupt him in his work. The family knew of his rather short temper, even his step-mother does, so they didn't particularly mock him or anything for being the butler despite being family. They just didn't want to get the house ruined, or particularly get anyone killed in the process.

"What do you want, Road?"

"It's just that you also need to get ready for the ball!" Road pouted in a seemingly cute way, coming to rest on the sofa next to her mother. She gave both her sister and mother a sly grin, directing her mask to the direction of their family butler.

Kanda could only freeze in spot and raise a peculiar eyebrow at his younger step-sister. Get ready for the ball? Why the hell should he get ready for a fucking ball? He was a butler! He also made it clear to his step-mother that he was not going to some ball, and no one would tell him otherwise!

Kanda noted that Lenalee and also Klaud were giving him stares, whispering to each other, sometimes grinning at whatever they were talking about. That bad feeling in his gut started to rise again.

"Yeah, Kanda-kun! You also need to get ready!" Lenalee exclaimed in her usually high voice, making her way over to the butler and instantly started to drag him back up the stairs, Klaud and Road following close behind. What made it worse is that they were all smirking at him, mocking him as if he didn't know something they did. Well, it is true that he would never share the same wavelength as his step-sisters, but still!

"Oi! Let me go, damn it! I'm not going to some fucking masquerade!" Kanda yelled over Lenalee, who was dragging him up the stairs with inhumane speed that the Japanese teen didn't know the girl had. He was pointedly ignored by the Chinese girl as he was dragged over to her quarters, Road and Klaud closing the door behind them. What the hell is up with his family? Scratch that, they weren't even a real family to begin with!

"You also need to attend, Kanda-kun. That is why we brought you here: to get you all fixed up." He had heard Lenalee speak to him, but he wasn't paying attention to her. What caught his attention was the large, feathery white flowing dress that was idly placed on the canopy bed of the girl's room. It was accompanied by a pair of pure white gloves, a headband, and a dark rose choker. There was also, Kanda noted, the pair of shining glass slippers sitting at the side that seemed to be too small for his own feet. What made it all fit together was the simple yet exotic silver mask next to the dress, shining in the light of the chandelier. This...this was women's clothes! Are they fucking crazy to make him put _that_ thing on? No fucking way! Kanda would rather go to hell than wear that kind of animosity!

"Come on, Kanda! The letter said that we need to bring 'all the lovely ladies' in the whole house! Even if you are no woman, you look like one, so you have to dress like one!" Road exclaimed, picking up the clean gloves on both hands and approached Kanda steadily, smirking at him with eyes glinting in mirth. The Japanese teen saw that the dress was being held by her step-mother's hands while Lenalee held onto the pair of glass slippers with gentle care. "No, damn it! You can all go shove those things back to where you found it!" Kanda yelled, wishing dearly that he should have carried Mugen with him before ever setting foot into his younger step-sister's fucking room. Damn it, he should have known something like this was going to happen. His ever weird family just wanted to make him look bad in public, that or make a total fool out of himself in public.

* * *

The carriage ride to the castle was very....how should you say this, uncomfortable? To Klaud, Lenalee, and Road it was, seeing as they were being glared at very dangerously by their butler, who seemed to emit murder vibes all over the carriage. It was unnerving, though Road tried to talk rather cheerfully about how exciting the party would be and all that, anything to get the atmosphere to lessen its venom. She didn't want to have to deal with it when the once in a lifetime chance to meet the prince was on the line! It was supposed to be a time where things are exciting, not a time where someone needed to cower from Kanda's wrath. They already take that every single day, after all.

Kanda could only scoff while crossing his arms over his chest, squirming a bit in his seat at how uncomfortable the dress was. It was rather long, reaching up to the ends of his ankles, and the choker was doing its job of choking him to death. The silver mask he was wearing felt heavy and somewhat of a bother, digging the sharp ends of it onto his skin. What he didn't like about this outfit was the way his hair was out of its usual ponytail, falling down to the ends of his waist and crafting his perfectly pale body. The fact that they also got him to wear a fucking corset was merely unbelievable to him. There was also the fact the large black ribbon that came with the dress was tight. Fuck this, how the hell were they stronger than him that he was dragged into the stupid drag and carried off in this carriage?

"I'm not stepping out of there. I don't want to meet the fucking prince or any of those rich bastards in there."

Klaud slapped Kanda's head in response, receiving a glare in return from the Japanese teen. "Don't use any of that language at the ball, Kanda. And besides, you need to loosen up more." She said in her motherly tone, while Road and Lenalee giggled to each other in the background, receiving another death glare from Kanda.

"Look! There's the castle!" Lenalee exclaimed in an excited tone, pointing out the window to the shining establishment in front of them. Road looked in awe at it, while Klaud kept her neutral expression on, though one would know she was also fascinated by such. It was adorned with beautiful lights, looking as if it shone brighter than the moon itself. Other carriages were also following the path their carriage was taking, people with different kinds of masks exiting their ride and entering the castle. Kanda could tell it was full of people already, taking out his pocket watch (yeah, he still kept it with him) and checking the time. 9:55 pm. No wonder there was already a lot of people.

They felt the carriage coming to a stop in front of the humongous double doors that was monitored by soldiers, dozens of them. A servant opened the door, Road exiting out first before Lenalee, then Kanda and lastly Klaud. The oldest of the four gave the servant a tip before entering through the double doors. Kanda only gulped the lump that dared to form inside his throat, wishing he was never going to see that Tyki Mikk in this masquerade. Well, it wasn't like he was going to actually see the man's face, thank the heavens for the masks. It also meant that Tyki would have a hard time finding him, seeing as they met when he was in his butler uniform. The prince wouldn't think he went to the part dressed as a girl now, wouldn't he? Kanda just hoped that.

* * *

Damn it, I like making Kanda suffer from cross-dressing too much. But oh well. Oh and for the dresses, you guys can probably piece it together. But I'll tell anyway. Lenalee's dress is the same from the mission with Miranda, when Road dressed her up or something. Road's dress is the same from the very end of Chapter 157 in the manga, where they introduced Sheryl, I think. On the other hand, Kanda's dress is from the originial Vocaloid song Cendrillon, with Miku in that white dress. Look it up on youtube, you will find it if it shows Miku also wearing a silver mask and holding a knife at the very end with a (seemingly) dieing Kaito.

About the thing with Kanda singing, that was the bout of pure OOC-ness there. And I might also bring up Allen and Lavi if I deem it necessary. Oh and for people who are reading my other fanfic, Answer Me, I'll get to updating it in a jiff! I'm really sorry for not updating it earlier!

Review please? Reviews make me happy and make me update faster!


	2. Masquerade

Well, that took long. Thanks for all the comments on my story! Seems like a lot of people enjoy it. So here is chapter two. Excuse my lack of description on the dances coming up. I can't really describe them so well, so I did a skip. And I'm not really knowledgeable on dances. Also, I edited some of chapter one, like someone pointed out. I also edited the time and way Kanda's hair is. I imagined him with pigtails, didn't look very promising. The lyrics are from the Vocaloid song "Cendrillon."

**Warning: **Mild yaoi, plus a bit of OOC-ness for Kanda. Maybe Tyki too....

**Disclaimer: **I do not own -man or Vocaloid. They belong to their respected owners.

* * *

**Masquerade**

_I'm looking for the stranger_

_The whispering tells me to put him to my sword, and deprive him of everything_

_Orphans gather together in the castle_

_They put the mask of a smile_

_Seraph will wrap the untrue affection of its wings

* * *

_

Tyki could only sigh as he leaned against the railing of the second floor, looking at the room at somewhat of a bird's eye view. He found that the number of people who attended were massive, though he could see that most of them were young women and their families. He himself was also wearing a mask, one that was portrayed as the helmet of a knight, ranged with exotic designs to make it more sophisticated. It was not really a mask in itself, seeing as it covered most of his head, somewhat like a real helmet would. The only part that was visible of him was the half of his head that goes down to his chin. Despite having no holes to see, Tyki can actually see pretty well. How that is, he didn't know. On the bright side of things, no one would know that he was the prince with the mask on. He was quite thankful that it was a masquerade, of all things.

His father, the King of Millennium, sat behind think curtain walls, unseen by all. He could quite tell that he was not really interested in joining the ball. Tyki could only sigh at that. Why was he the only one who would have to suffer?

"Tyki-pon, have you seen anyone you like yet?" Came a voice from behind the red curtain, the light from behind it showing a figure sitting on a high-rising chair.

Tyki sighed again, before pushing himself off the railing and turned to face the king. Truth be told, Tyki was hardly paying decent attention to the maidens that entered the ball. Really, how can he even tell who it was with those masks on anyway? Rather than thinking about such ludicrous things, Tyki had that young butler with such a heavenly voice in his mind, one that would touch the soul of any who hears.

...Well, if not for his attitude quite a bit. Really, for a mere butler, that one seemed to be a little short-tempered, if not rude. Not like the younger teen knew that Tyki was of high status, after all. "Not yet. The party just started, you know." Tyki replied in a cool tone, before bowing slightly in front of his majesty and left without another word, off to join in the activities downstairs. Even though balls or parties weren't really his cup of tea, he had to do something interesting in this oh-so spectacular night (Note the sarcasm). And besides that, having a little fun wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Well, to Tyki it won't. On the brighter side of things, the ball is a masquerade, so no doubt that it would be difficult to identify him as the prince. Thank the lord for that. He didn't want to be bombarded with screaming girls, after all.

* * *

Seeing Tyki leave the scene, the King sighed as he relaxed back into his chair. Not like it was his fault for getting old. Besides, he wanted to see how much his son was capable of being a leader. That and let him enjoy the pleasures of having his own family.

"Your highness, it seems that it is going to start soon."

The King of Millennium stopped pondering over his son and paid close attention to the voice from behind him. He could only recognize that voice as _his_, so there was no doubt that the other male was also with him. Those two really seemed close to each other, if not closer than mere friends. Not like he was complaining about it. Oh no, rather, he was glad about the results they give whenever they work together. It praises him to call them his own personal spies, or something of that sort.

"Good work. Make sure Tyki-pon is in the center of it all."

The two males behind him, one was a bit shorter than the other, bowed in unison before leaving the King to his own. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of their plan, and the fact they actually followed Tyki out the castle in his usual run around town. He was aware of Tyki's growing interest with a certain person outside of the castle, let alone one that the male had just met in town. He had to wonder if that butler, according to his sources, is going to be present in this ball, plus how things would go in the end for his son. He'll have to find out sooner or later, as they say.

* * *

Kanda looked around the hall they were currently passing through, seeing the exquisite decorations that filled it and the high-class furnishing that filled every inch of the hall. The paintings that hung on the castle walls looked as if it was coming to life, in a good way. There were also some patrons and others in the high society walking along the same hall as them, wearing such divine clothing and one of the most important things: masks. No doubt that a lot of them are attending the masquerade. It was a fairly big deal, seeing as it was a personal invitation from the King of Millennium himself. That alone was more than a compelling reason to come.

...And the fact that the _prince_ was going to _pick_ out a _wife_ among the girls at the ball. No, Kanda was not complaining or anything, damn it! He could care less about the bastard!

"...Oh and mother! Look at that painting over there!" The male heard his step-sister Lenalee cry out, scoffing before hastening his pace down the seemingly long corridor. Damn it, when are they going to get to the fucking ball already? Kanda just wanted to get it over with and get out of this fucking dress that is trying to suffocate him. It was the freaking corset that was trying to kill his insides, he just knew it! When he reached the end of the hallway, he was met with the sight of two guards overseeing a large double door. Seeing the teen with the mask on, followed by other people behind him also wearing masks, the doors opened and the guards stepped aside to let them pass through.

Kanda only gave out a 'che' before entering through, meeting with a wide room filled with dozens of people who wore elegant-looking clothing and above all else, masks. There was music also being played at a small stage for the band, food out in the open placed in dinner tables, and the lively chatter of marquees and dukes of all sorts. The male lessened his pace so that he was now walking behind his supposed 'family,' not wanting to attract any attention. Not like he had the fucking choice to attend this masquerade in the first place. Besides that, attracting any attention from the wrong side of the party wouldn't bode so well for the male.

He could see both of his step-sisters looking around frantically in apparent joy, before Lenalee went ahead and left their side to blend in the crowd, her figure diminishing in his line of vision. He didn't know where she went, and it looks like he could care less to know what she is up to. For Road, the girl went ahead and also said a 'see you later' to him and his step-mother, going off to join in with her friends that had also came to the masquerade. How did Road recognize them with their masks on anyway? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to know about it either. Klaud on the other hand, went to sit down on a nearby chair and pick up a glass of wine when she was offered some by a stray butler. Ah, what Kanda wouldn't give to be at home right now instead of being here, looking like some woman for all eyes to see. Like he has already said dozens of times before this party began: he was glad for the masks.

Looking around the room, Kanda noticed that he was all alone, no one to bother him like his family, or anyone else for that matter. He was glad for that much, but still not enough to turn around his bad mood. Unless he gets home and is back to his normal butler clothes (or any of his own clothes), then he would be able to calm down. Not that being calm would mean he wouldn't get mad again. Huffing an undignified sigh, Kanda walked past the crowds, almost tripping on many occasions because of the stupid high heels he was forced to wear, before settling himself in the very back of the room. It was there that some tables of food and sofas were situated, but not many people were really interested in the food or relaxing. They all came here for the main attraction anyway, which was to catch the eye of the prince. Well, not like they could anyway, what with people wearing masks and such. Besides, the prince may also be wearing a mask.

Kanda sauntered over to one of the large pillars near a food stand, crossing his arms and leaning against it, a frown marring his face. Under the mask, his eyes narrowed at the sight of people dancing along the music, a sort of jumpy tune not necessarily meant for a normal ball. Kanda took out his pocket watch yet again (the chain hung on his waist), checking to see how much time he had. 10:30 pm. Of course, the party barely started after all. When was it over? Midnight or something close to that? Kanda had to refrain from groaning out loud, seeing as it was going to be a long night ahead of him. Not that long though, he knew he could handle two hours, but time seemed to be slow nowadays. Well, if he could just stay out of plain sight until the ball has ended, then he might be able to get out with his pride still attached. Hopefully.

* * *

Tyki could see that most of the females at the party were tense, keen on finding the prince of the ball. Did they not expect him to be wearing a mask? How naïve it is. Tyki wouldn't parade around the castle in the open without a good disguise whenever there are lots of visitors, especially if they were young court women who seek his hand. Sure, he likes the attention they give him, though he values his life even more.

The prince walked gracefully along the many visitors, greeting some women here and there just for his own pleasure, shaking hands with some fellow gentlemen too. He also had a chance to talk to some of the earls that were acquaintances of his father. One girl even had the courage to ask him to dance with her. Of course, he accepted it without a second thought. He didn't particularly care, since it was a party after all. Parties are for enjoying one's self in just a night, not for sitting around and doing nothing.

He led the dance with the girl, who looked to be in her teen years or so. She had a simple dark dress that seemed to reach down to her ankles, her hair tied in two curled pigtails and a dark green mask on her face. She didn't really fit in Tyki's personal taste in women, but it was only polite to accept a dance. He and the girl danced to the music, which had changed to a somewhat fast pace, the girl keeping up with the rapid strokes in the dance floor as he lead the dance. The Viennese waltz. Huh, not like he actually enjoyed it, but it was simple enough to dance to, if one was used to the speed of it. Waltzes were pretty normal in balls after all. The thing that only made a difference is the music and what kind of waltz it was. Tyki had been told of almost all of them, which he didn't even want to remember at the moment. He just knew what this one was, since it was most common in the parties his father sets up.

Bowing down in a gesture of thanks when the dance was over, Tyki sighed as he saw the girl blush and scurry away after a curtsy. One thing why he did not get women at all, or will he ever want to understand them. Shrugging, the Portuguese man made his way to one of the butlers holding some wine, grabbing a glass from the silver tray and saying his thanks. The butler only stared, before shrugging and offered some other people a drink.

He didn't see the whole point in this. No matter how much his father wanted it, he wasn't that interested in marriage. Besides, he hardly knew any of these women in the ball! And he could swear that if he said that out loud, the King would probably say something about bonding and such. Sure, not like that was going to change anything. Sighing again before taking a sip of the red wine, Tyki made his way over to one of the couches on the very ends of the room, sitting down on one with a loud thump. He already danced and talked for a little bit, and as much as he hated to admit it, he just wanted to stay out of it for tonight. Most of the time, he would be more active on those kinds of activities, but for now, he kept getting a feeling that something is not right in this, something was missing. Tyki was thought to be superstitious at times by some of the occupants in the castle. He shrugged the feeling off, taking another sip of his wine when something –no, someone rather– caught his attention.

Dressed in a pure white dress, wearing a silver mask, a girl with dark flowing hair that was free of any restraints was leaning against one of the pillars surrounding the room. From the look on her face (well, aside from the mask), it seemed that she was either sad with that frown on her face, mad, irritated, or if it was just a façade of sorts. Now why was he caring about it? Tyki slumped into his seat, drinking the wine again until it was empty. He sighed as he looked through the glass, twirling it nonchalantly while taking small peeks at the girl right beside from where he currently sat. He noted that she didn't move from her spot, still leaning on the pillar with arms crossed, and a frown marring her face. It was hard to tell with the masks on.

Kanda, on the other hand, had tried to meditate even standing up, still leaning on the pillar. His eyes were closed behind his mask, before his frown turned into a neutral expression, one that was calmer than it could ever get. It was Kanda, what do you expect from him? He always knew to be on guard at times like this, especially in a room with people he didn't know. Heck, even his foster family were complete strangers to him.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Kanda opened his eyes at the voice, head snapping up faster than anyone could blink and form tensing at the same time. Right in front of him was a man, slightly taller than him, wearing a tuxedo and a mask that looked to be like a knight's helmet. He held an empty wine glass in his left hand, he noted, and the fact that there was this odd feeling about this man. Something about him seemed off for some reason, not of this world of sorts, or something like that.

And did that said man just call him 'miss'? Well, it is true that he is dressed like one and the fact that his masculinity wasn't apparent with the dress on, not to mention that he looked like a girl enough! Kanda fumed a little, glaring at the man from behind his mask, not like the other would know he _is_ glaring. "I'm fine," Kanda mumbled, looking the other way so to avoid his anger from rising any farther. It wasn't his damn fault his foster family had to be a bunch of oddballs who forced him in this fucking mess, even if it lessens their chance of getting to the prince. Or are they just that overconfident about their looks? It was for public humiliation, he knew it!

Tyki sighed in relief, placing the glass of empty wine down to one of the nearby tables, looking at the other in an up and down manner. Now she wasn't like most of the females in the party. She didn't blush, which was surprising, did not curtsy or whatever a woman does when meeting with another gentleman. Heck, the girl didn't even seem to care about it. How interesting.

"Okay then, what's your name?" Tyki asked in his smooth tone, which was a sign that his black side was surfacing. It only comes out whenever he was highly amused with something and wanted to play with them for a little bit or he was taking interest in something....and wanted to break it. Gifts were a different thing entirely though, since he was one to take care of his gifts.

Kanda turned his head back to the other man, thinking about what to say, if say anything at all. He couldn't just flat out say his name, since he was pretty well-known around town as the 'short-tempered butler' and all. And he will not, in a million years, give some stranger his first name. He learned from past experiences to never do that, since every once in a while, an idiot will come along and misuse his first name to an extent that it gets annoying. Even though his mind said that, his voice had another mind of its own. "Yuu." Kanda had to refrain from slapping himself at that moment.

Tyki only raised one of his eyebrows elegantly, though it was hidden under his mask. "Me?"

"No, damn it. That _was_ my name, dumbass." Kanda snapped at the other, which in turn made Tyki twitch visibly. This was one rude girl, that was for sure. No matter, he did like them feisty after all. Tyki also noted that, from the sound of her name, she sounded like she was from Asia.

"I apologize then. Is that your full name?"

Kanda paused before answering, "No. I'm not telling some stranger my full name."

Tyki could only chuckle at that remark. "I see," He commented, averting his gaze from the other to look around the ball room. A new selection of music was playing now, the dance floor filling with dancing couples. He didn't recognize this song was to be played during the ball, but he could tell it was another waltz. The prince smirked, before going back to Kanda and holding his hand out to her. "Do you want to dance?"

"No." Kanda responded flatly, frowning again at the hand being held out to him. He didn't want to dance, especially since he was playing the girl role right now. He was also sure that his foster family would be watching, and may laugh at him when they get home. He didn't want to dance with a stranger too, and made to follow his lead because that is what women usually do at dances (don't ask how he knew).

Tyki only raised an intrigued eyebrow at his answer. He declined? That was a first. Then again, this girl was not like any normal girl he had met in parties. Perfectly different from any he had met. "Come on, loosen up a little," Tyki exclaimed in a sarcastic way, grabbing Kanda's wrist and dragging him over to the dance floor, passing by other dancers in a flash until they were in the middle. "I said I didn't want to fucking dance." Kanda argued back, trying to struggle out of Tyki's grasp, though he knew it was a petty try. The man had a pretty strong vice grip on it.

And there was the fact that the other was fucking _smiling_ –or smirking, whatever it was– like some kind of maniac at him. It was really making his insides boil with rage. "I'm making you dance anyway." Tyki said matter-of-factly, placing Kanda's left hand on his shoulder while taking the other hand into his own left hand. Kanda scowled at him, but did not pull away. Chuckling softly at that seemingly cute expression, Tyki placed his right hand on the girl's rather slim waist and looked at the other endearingly under his mask, pulling Kanda flush against his own form.

Kanda had to refrain from blushing out of embarrassment at a time like this, since he wasn't the type to ever blush, not in public or private. And the fact that it might give the other the wrong idea. That was something he did not want to happen. "What the fuck are you doing?" Kanda hissed at him, pushing the man away from him for only a few centimeters, before Tyki had tightened his hold on his waist. Tch, what a bastard this guy is.

Tyki was pretty sure that by pulling them together like that, it could make anyone blush. Maybe he was wrong about that. Well, not like a lot of things work with this particular girl anyway, from the looks of it. He smirked as he watched with amused eyes at the other's failed attempt to get away. Maybe it was working, if not a little bit. "Enough games then. Follow my lead."

Kanda remained frowning as they both took the first step, mimicking it until they were following the rhythm. He didn't really know how to dance for most of the time, but he was taught of the basic waltz when he was very young. Of course, that waltz was the part for men, not for women. Sure, he practiced with someone before, but he didn't know how to do the moves themselves. At least, not so much.

There was no real contact between them, except for the fact that they were almost flushed together again, thanks to Tyki. It seemed that Kanda didn't care for that anymore, since he was hell-bent on finishing this as soon as it was humanly possible. He had been frowning the whole time they were dancing, while Tyki was smiling that damn smirk of his. He didn't get how the man could enjoy such humiliation like this. Kanda even stepped on his foot one time! He knew how women's high heels could make for good weapons sometimes. He saw the male wasn't entirely affected by the damage he had done, or he was only hiding it. Not like Kanda gave a shit about it.

By the time they were done, Kanda hurriedly took his hands off his shoulder while Tyki took his own hand off his waist. They were still holding hands though, because the man didn't seem so keen on letting go just yet. Kanda scowled at that, hearing the man chuckle in response to that. The music had changed again, back to the normality he entered upon just hours prior. "You danced elegantly out there, Yuu." Tyki complimented in a somewhat sarcastic way, though it sounded like he meant it. That was hardly believable. Kanda only scoffed at that remark, but didn't pull away at the hand still grasping his own. Not like he could anyway. He was about to argue back, when he saw the taller male drag his right hand near to his face, placing a small kiss on his gloved hand.

....And that was where Kanda really did blush. He scowled as his face had gotten pink, pulling his hand away from the other's grasp. He just wanted to explode at that moment. "What the fuck was _that_?" He fumed, glaring at Tyki from behind his mask, rubbing his gloved hand onto the white dress as if to rub off some dirt on it. That kiss was disgusting enough, especially because he was kissed by a fucking _guy_ who thought he was a girl! The older male could only chuckle at Kanda's expression.

"Why, a parting gift, of course. Unless...you wanted something more?"

"You're sick!" Kanda hissed, and was prepared to walk away from the man when a dancing couple bumped him from behind, caught off-guard by the sudden intrusion. He didn't get a chance to recover in time from making contact with the floor, but he never felt it. What he felt instead was something smooth, something softer and warmer than the floor. "Sorry about that!" He heard someone shout back at him, a redheaded male with a one-sided mask that was the same color as his hair. It seemed that it was him and another person who bumped into him. Kanda hardly paid attention to that, since his attention was on Tyki's smirking face as he rested on the man's chest, two arms wrapped around his waist to keep him stable. "Are you alright, Yuu?" He heard the man ask, but he didn't seem to hear it, didn't seem to register the words in his mind.

Kanda pushed the man away from him, running out of the scene and out of the room entirely, the last thing he heard was the sound of the loud ding from the giant clock that hung on one of the walls inside the castle. He gritted his teeth in irritation, giving out a small 'che' before stepping out into the cold night air. Kanda didn't care if it was cold, didn't care for any of this shit anymore. Screw it if he gets a cold, he didn't care _at all_ anymore. All he could care about was getting the fuck out of this place, even if the ball wasn't over yet or his step-sisters demanded him to stay. Hiding behind a tree so that no one could see him, Kanda tore off the lower part of the dress, now reaching up to his knees. Taking off his glass slippers (his feet hurt from wearing it all night long) and holding it in both hands, he ran, down the road to his house, to be more precise. He didn't know what triggered him into running away like some coward, running away from his own problems. It was all his step-sisters' damn fault in the first place for dragging him into the party. He didn't want to meet that person again, not in a million years.

* * *

Tyki could only stare blankly at the place where Kanda had run out of, some people whispering to each other about the ruckus the girl had made. That was surprising. Why did she have to run? He saw the redhead that had bumped into the girl earlier apologize to him, saying something about not paying attention. After Tyki had assured that it was fine, he saw the younger male leave and went back to the person he was dancing with. Now this was an odd case indeed.

Before he could think about the situation any further, Tyki spotted something shining lightly on the tiled floor. He walked over to the shining object and picked it up, seeing that it was a silver pocket watch that looked to be quite old. Was it something that Yuu had dropped? He didn't really pay attention if the girl had dropped anything or any of that, only to her form running away from him. Shaking his head, the prince went ahead and opened it, seeing writing inside the watch. It was in a different language, like Chinese or Japanese of the sort. Maybe, just maybe, it was the girl's full name? With that information, he could track her down!

Wait, why did he have to track her down? Was his attention now focused onto the feisty yet seemingly cute girl he had met in the ball? Shaking his head yet again, Tyki closed the silver pocket watch and put it inside one of his pockets. He sighed, looking up at the clock hanging above the place where his father secretly sat at. Midnight already. Well, looks like he wouldn't spend any longer at this room. Good thing too. Yawning out loud, Tyki started to walk upstairs, into private chambers that didn't allow any guests except for the people living in the castle. He heard the chatter outside die down until there was only the eerie silence that filled the air.

* * *

"Mother, where is Kanda-kun?" Lenalee had asked after they had boarded the carriage, waiting inside patiently for their butler. She had quite a fun night, chatting with others and even dancing with a few gentlemen here and there. Road was slumped in her seat, puffing out her cheeks like some annoyed little girl. She had joined her friends in their search for the prince, though they didn't see him anywhere at all. Well, truthfully speaking, she and her friends had asked every single man in the ball if they were the prince or pulling off their masks to see if they were, but that brought no results at all. Klaud had eaten some of their delicious food and tried the wine, while talking with some of the court ladies and gentlemen in the party. She had been conversing about her husband, how they met, about her kids and other subjects that grown-ups would usually talk about. Klaud had only looked back at Lenalee as she had asked the question, her expression turning into a serious one.

"I saw him leave already." She answered.

Road joined in the conversation, remembering the time she had almost gotten hit by the running butler. "Yeah, I saw him running away or something. He looked upset, or mad."

Lenalee suddenly looked worried. "Maybe he already went home?" She suggested, though that didn't help reassure her. Out of all of them, she was the one who cared about their butler the most. Of course, she wasn't that sympathetic to Kanda. The carriage went silent after that.

"Maybe. We'll just find out on our way home, ne?" Road exclaimed in a sing-song voice, knowing there was nothing to worry about with Kanda. After all, they didn't have to worry about him in the past, nor will that ever change in the present.

* * *

"That didn't work..."

"It wasn't my fault that it didn't!"

"Technically, yes it is. You were the one who said we should bump into her."

"Didn't think she would'a just ran away like that!"

"I didn't either."

"Poor Tyki-chan. He looked stunned at it."

"Should we report this to the king?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Look on the bright side, at least Tyki found someone."

* * *

Three guesses at who is talking in the end. I kind of gave it away though...but oh well. Updates will be a bit slow for the following two weeks, so bear with me.

Reviews would be loved. It would definitely help me with my upcoming tests.


	3. Clue to You

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad it got some people laughing at the first chapter. And yes, for people who said Lavi and Allen were talking at the last scene of the 2nd chapter, you're correct. They (mostly Allen) make an appearance in this chapter. And it hints at that 'accident' mentioned in the first chapter. I'll get to update my other story eventually. And also a Happy Birthday to Kanda! XD

**Disclaimer: **I don't own -man, Cinderella, or the quote in Kanda's watch. They belong to their respected owners.

**Warnings: **More OOC for Tyki, Kanda a bit. And some light Laven? More like a friendship thing though.

* * *

**Clue to You**

_"Run with all your might, princess. Run until your legs grow weak, or to your heart's content until you reach your destination. But I promise you this: I will hunt you down and claim you as my own, to make you mine and mine alone. However far you may run to, I will always follow your footsteps and I assure you, I will find you."

* * *

_

Kanda dragged himself to the front door, fumbling with the handle that separated him from his house. He was stupid enough to not bring his spare keys with him to the masquerade, seeing as he didn't think he needed to bring it. What a fucking pain this is. Oh wait...Kanda frowned, before placing both of the glass slippers on the floor (he didn't know why he even kept them), reaching down to the door mat and retrieving a small golden key from beneath. Good thing that they always kept the spare key there. At least it was useful in some ways. Grumbling under his breath, Kanda inserted the key into the keyhole, twisting the door knob when he had unlocked it. He looked around to see that the lights were off: a sign that the others were not back...yet. Good; he didn't want a confrontation with them yet. The thought of killing them was quite appealing though, he had to admit. Turning on the lights to the living room, Kanda entered the house and closed the front door, locking it in the process.

Shaking his head, Kanda placed the glass slippers to some secluded place in the living room, walking -or stomping, rather- up the sets of stairs to his room, closing the door with a smash once he entered. He needed time to be alone now, especially after that...he didn't even know what the hell it was anymore. He noticed that he was stumbling for a little bit, and the fact that his feet were stained in mud for running all the way over here. And...he still had his mask on after all this time. After noticing it, Kanda mercilessly took the thing off, throwing it on his mattress with as much force as he could muster, wishing it would break under the pressure. But as expected, it didn't. Frustrated, Kanda cursed at the damn thing before finally settling himself on his bed, giving out an irritated sigh.

He didn't like this at all, feeling humiliated by that...that bastard he met at the party! He was trying to mock him; he could just taste it in the air earlier! He was just...outraged, and yet, he was also confused at the same time. He had to ask why he ran away from the ball, who the hell was that man he had met there, and so many that he didn't want to think about. But overall, he was curious about one important thing: what is the feeling he felt when the man kissed his hand? Kanda remembered that he felt his heart skip a couple of beats when that happened, and the way the man seemed to have this certain air to him that lured him right into his arms (as much as he hated to admit it). Most of all: who was he? He didn't even get a fucking name so he could slug him later!

Sighing again for the nth time, Kanda's ears picked up the sound of footsteps and chatter from downstairs (his room was closer to the stairs anyway). That only meant that those idiots were back. About time too.

"Hey Kanda! Are you in here?" He heard a high-pitched voice call out, who was probably Lenalee. Who else would it have been then? Kanda only grunted in response before standing up from his bed, walking up to his door and opening it with a slam. He saw that Lenalee was going up the stairs with Road following behind, while their mother was on the ground floor staring up at the long-haired male. The next thing they all knew, it was silent in the normally-lively house. Kanda was staring at the three of them, his dark orbs reflecting irritation and endearment. Lenalee and Road were also staring back at Kanda, Lenalee with a worried look and Road with a look of surprise. Klaud...well, she just ignored it for now and went into the living room.

"You're safe Kanda!" Lenalee broke the silence, skipping the last few steps and running over to her half-brother, almost tempted to hug him if not for the aura of malice surrounding the boy. The Chinese girl laughed nervously before backing away, taking notice of the now-ruined dress Kanda wore. "Kanda! What happened to the dress?" She exclaimed, pointing at the tattered bottom and the dirt that clung to it. Kanda only shrugged, staring at the girl's angry form as she walked down to her own room (more like stomping actually). Usually, all of them avoided Kanda or ignored him for their sake and their butler's sake. Kanda in particular, didn't mind that. He just wanted people to leave him alone. They could all die and he still wouldn't give a shit. Road giggled and skipped up the stairs, looking at Kanda's torn up dress and slightly scratched feet. "Wow, so you just _ran_ back home? I can see why for the dress..." She commented in her usual bored tone, skipping back into the other way to reach her room. Kanda could only shrug his shoulders and go back into his room. Well that was plain old weird.

* * *

Tyki laid on his large king-sized bed, dressed in some black loose-fitting pants and shirt. His golden eyes were examining the silver pocket watch intently, as it glimmered under the moonlight that entered through his open window. He could only smile slyly as he opened it, revealing the small clock that showed the current time and writing carved on the back of the cover. He had asked one of the castle's residents Lavi (who was unsurprisingly still awake at this hour) to translate what it meant, but it didn't signify a person's name or something that lead to the girl, maybe except for the last thing. Well, one thing he did know was the girl he met was of Japanese origin and her first name was Yuu.

"_The music played tonight is an unknown waltz and a melody never to be sung." To YK_

He had to wonder what the YK could stand for. It could stand for a lot of things...or names in particular. Initials are pretty commonly used nowadays, so that may not have been a big surprise. Well, he knew that the Y could stand for Yuu, as that was what the girl's name was. It would have narrowed things down by a little. Thing was, he never met any person around town named Yuu before. Or was it a foreigner that stayed only for the party? Nah, no human would want to waste their time leaving their own home far away just to attend a party. Well, not if they were that desperate. It seemed to Tyki, though, that Yuu wasn't the least bit desperate. Heck, she was quite the opposite, really. It looked like the girl wanted to get the hell out of the place, which was quite possible considering she had denied all of the advances he made so far, so much that he had to make the real move to get her to dance.

"Maybe going to him for any help was pointless..." Tyki muttered idly to himself, closing the lid of the silver watch as he sat up from his place to reach over the night stand, placing the thing right beside the illuminated lamp. He settled back into his bed with a sigh, closing his eyelids as he replayed that scene over and over again. Of those dark rendezvous locks of hair seemed to wrap around his frame as they were pulled close together, dancing to the melody of the ballroom amongst the other pairs. Of the way the other had blushed lightly as Tyki kissed the fair maiden's hand with a brush of his lips, flabbergasted at the move. Of that icy tone filled with that unhidden malice that seethed with venom, pure and yet tainted till the last word. Tyki could only shift in his position at the thought.

He enjoyed every moment of the fateful event. He was that eager to find who was under that mask.

There was a knock on the prince's door, making Tyki raise an eyebrow and sit up straight on his bed. Now who could it be at this hour?

"Come in."

The door opened, which revealed a young boy with white hair and gray eyes that held happiness and the same time, suffering. Tyki instantly picked up the name Allen. The boy was another castle resident that seemed to work for his father. For what purposes, he didn't know. Allen would be constantly seen all around the castle with the redhead he had just seen minutes prior, Lavi. Apparently the two came to the castle together years ago, when Lavi was only about fifteen and Allen was just twelve. Tyki, who was twenty-three at the time, had taken care of the boys when the maids had too many jobs to handle at once. It wasn't that fun of a job, with Lavi that is. The Allen kid was pretty okay. He had started to remember one time when he had asked the albino about his somewhat different features. When you pass twenty, you start questioning a lot of stuff that was usually meaningless before.

_"Hey, shōnen*__, why do you have white hair, that scar and arm?"_

_Allen looked up at Tyki with his stormy gray eyes, clenching his best friend's hand tightly and shuffling his feet nervously at the question. Lavi's expression had changed from cheerful to serious in response to the prince's question. They knew, as subjects to the royal family, that they were to tell everything of what they know. That also means anything about their past if they were questioned about it. The redhead looked to the albino, who turned his gaze to him at the same time. Their eyes spoke more than their words to each other, and Lavi nodded as he turned to face Tyki._

_"Tyki-chan, can I answer for Moya- I mean, Allen-chan?" Lavi caught his mistake as he asked after seconds of silence, which didn't help that the other two had heard. Allen was holding the redhead's hand until his knuckles turned white, his form tense at Lavi's mistake. The older male nodded, though couldn't help but wonder what Lavi was about to say or why the redhead took over for Allen. Seemed like the topic was subtle and quite sensitive._

_"Well... Allen-chan had a sort of traumatic experience when he was young. For an unknown reason, it turned his hair white like that. His arm was like that when he was born. It was apparently something that went wrong when he was still in his mother's womb. Or that's what he told me. As for the scar... even I don't know what it is. Allen doesn't really want to talk about it too much. Besides, he only talked to-" Lavi paused in mid-sentence, realizing what he said a second too late. Allen clung onto the redhead's arm with both hands, face buried on the male's shoulder, shutting his ears to what the redhead might have said next. "Stop, Lavi. Don't say anymore." The younger male mumbled into his shirt, holding on to the tears that dared to fall as the horrible memory resurfaced in both of them._

_Tyki only prompted to watch and listen intently. Maybe it was wise not to have asked such a question. He didn't know it was a sensitive topic to both of them, after all. "Sorry, Allen-chan. Ne, Tyki-chan, can we not bring up this subject again?" Lavi asked, patting the boy's white hair with his free hand, his one emerald eye looking at the older male, pleading. "Sure. I apologize if it bothered you both greatly." He said, giving them an apologetic smile as he walked away, not giving Lavi the chance to reply back._

The prince snapped his focus back onto Allen as the male coughed into his fist. He really needed to stop having random flashbacks every single day. Next thing he knew, he would have relived his life all over again in a blink of an eye.

"So Allen, what brings you here?" Tyki asked after a moment of silence, sitting at the edge of the bed that faced the younger teen.

"The King sent me to ask some questions about earlier. Apparently it got his interests to see someone had been able to catch your eye." Allen exclaimed, chuckling as he heard Tyki laugh nervously. The situation had also sparked his and Lavi's interest, as they knew Tyki well enough to know he was quite a picky person when it came to partners and all.

"Ask away then. But before that, I have a question myself." The prince said, crossing one leg over the other as he prepared himself for an interrogation. Knowing his father, the man would have lots of questions about that certain feisty maiden. He couldn't help but smirk as the girl's magnificent features entered his mind: those dark and silky tresses, the silver mask that hid those piercing dark azure eyes, and most importantly, her defying attitude that didn't seem fit for a girl.

"What is it?"

"Why isn't Lavi with you? He's usually around, considering the fact that he _loves_ to ask questions."

Allen only laughed at that. Sure, his best friend was ever the curious one in the castle, but sometimes Lavi stopped the flood of questions entering in his head and start answering questions on his own. Apparently today was one of those days. Either that or he had already gone to bed. Not that he really minded Lavi wasn't with him. It would have been fun to question Tyki about his secret love life with the redhead constantly in his face. "Guess he already went to bed. You know how he is." Allen answered happily, sitting down on one of the couches around the room. Tyki shifted his position so that he faced the younger teen, legs still crossed.

"I see. Well, you may go ahead and ask your own questions now."

* * *

_The following morning..._

The streets were bustling with life, even more so than usual, which was kind of odd. It was even more appalling that one short-tempered butler was walking along the path in the usually crowded market place with a recyclable bag in tow. Apparently he was given the task of going to the tailor to fix that damn dress he had managed to ruin last night. Heck, he was more on the thought of throwing the thing away or burning it in the fireplace until it turned to ashes. Nope, Lenalee just had to complain the dress was too expensive, elegant, and pretty to just throw away like trash. He sighed, irritated.

He passed by various stores, which were all crowded with people at the time, until he reached the tailor. Well, he was glad that store only had a couple of people in it. After taking the time to pay for sewing the dress together and handing it over to them, Kanda was off to another store nearby. The local grocery store, to be more specific. He was also given the job of re-stocking all the shelves and the fridge at the house. Luckily Klaud had given him the list of items prior to leaving the house – no, mansion rather. He looked at the said list in his hand, scanning the items with his piercing cerulean eyes. It wasn't that much to carry back home on foot, and the prices wouldn't be that high. He had always gone to the grocery store when re-stocking, and the prices were pretty cheap. Plus the fact it wasn't going to his budget was a big bonus.

As he entered into the market, taking a rolling cart in the process, Kanda stopped mid-way as he felt a pair of eyes on his back. He turned, looking around the premises, hair following his movement like a sort of whiplash. Well, there wasn't anyone staring at him or anything. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

...Nah, Kanda Yuu's own instincts hasn't failed him once in the past.

* * *

Tyki had, yet again, escaped the palace to travel around the town. After the questioning with Allen last night, it practically drained him. He hadn't slept that much after staying up so late into the night. It was quite relaxing to roam around the town for a bit in the afternoon, in his usual disguise of course.

His thoughts were still on the ball last night though. Even after much effort, he couldn't get the thought of the girl off his head for even a full minute. It didn't help that Lavi started teasing him about it at breakfast, or Allen helping his best friend in the process. _Great, I'm starting to act like some love-struck school girl. _Tyki thought bitterly as he took out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling the smoke and releasing it seconds later. He was falling head over heels with this girl he barely even knew! Or saw fully for that matter! What the hell was wrong with the world?

The prince continued his stroll through the bustling streets of the market place, not really having a destination in mind. Anywhere was fine with him, really, as long as there was something to entertain him. He had heard from one of the servants in the castle that there was a circus in town that had some pretty interesting tricks and acts. Then again, he wasn't that fond with circus shows. Another had told him there was a bow competition being held today at noon. It would be interesting to see some arrows flying around town.

Just as he had reached the local grocery store did he notice something interesting. In the entrance to the store, his golden eyes (that were brown because of contacts) caught sight of that butler – Kanda was it? – he had met a few days ago, going inside the store with a cart in tow. Well, at least now there was something to entertain him for a little while. Tyki took the cigarette from his lips, dropping it to an ashtray above the trash can in the front of the store, soon following the teen inside. He made sure to follow the dark-haired teen a few feet away, seeing as he didn't want to be caught just yet. He wanted to get the teen off-guard at the perfect time.

...Geez, was Lavi rubbing off on him or what?

* * *

Kanda wasn't that aware of a person following him or anything like that. All he could feel were eyes staring at him, watching his every move. He had kept looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was looking at him weirdly or anyone following him. No one was there except for other shoppers minding their own business.

The male decided to ignore it and move on with the groceries. He had gotten most of the items on the list so far, which he didn't know if it weighed on good or bad. Good because he was getting his work done and over with, bad because he would have to face his stupid family about the whole masquerade thing last night. Unfortunately, they had to ponder why Kanda had run away from the party and why he ran all the way back to the house on foot. Hell, he didn't even know the answer to the first one! The second question was pretty self-explanatory, after all.

He walked down the aisle for cans and spices, pushing the stroller along as he read what he needed next in the list. Some tuna in a can or something like that. And it needed to be a certain brand too! Those idiots were too picky at what they ate. It took him a while to find the right fruits in that list too! Same goes with everything else that was on it!

Kanda scanned the shelves of tuna cans for the certain brand on the list, face scrunching in irritation as he found it to be on the highest shelf in that aisle. Even though he was pretty tall, he couldn't reach that height. Scowling at it, the Japanese teen folded the piece of paper and placed it into his pocket, walking over to the shelf with the intention to reach for at least one. He glared at the stacks of tuna on the very top, before going on his tiptoes to try and reach for it. Even then it wasn't enough to reach. _Reach, damn it!_ Kanda thought with a frown, stretching his arms all the way until they were at their limit. Almost there!

Just as he was so close, another hand reached for the same pile of cans, successfully reaching for one before Kanda could. The younger teen turned to see who had 'helped' him, meeting with a dark skinned man that was a bit taller than him. "You wanted this?" The male had asked, gesturing for Kanda to take the can.

Wait, he had seen this man before. But where...?

"_You're voice sounded really great."_

"_What's your name?"_

"_I'll see you around then, Kanda."_

"_Tyki Mikk."_

It had all clicked in that instant. It was the King's son, the bastard who had caught him singing!

Tyki raised one eyebrow as he saw multiple expressions pass the other's face, before finally insisting on a glare sent at his direction. He couldn't help but smirk knowingly. "What, forgot about me, Kanda? I'm hurt." The Portuguese man said, gripping his heart with one hand as if to emphasize his words. What the hell, now he knew that Lavi really _was _rubbing off of him. The younger of the two could only roll his eyes, snatching the can of tuna from the prince's grasp. Now this was great, meeting this asshole of all people.

Kanda knew that the King of Millennium had the highest authority of all the people in the land. His wife and kids followed next in the ranking. He had remembered the initial shock that entered him when he learned of the guy's name a few days back. He didn't dare mention it to anyone else in his family, let alone his half-sister Road. Damn girl was _infatuated_ with the prince. What would someone expect from the leader of the Tyki Mikk fan club? The younger male mentally smirked at the thought of the youngest of his half-sisters jumping on the prince in an attempt to let him stay.

"Che. If you want to be useful, grab four more of those cans with the same brand." Kanda said blankly, walking over to his abandoned cart and tossing in the can of tuna inside. Tyki, who was still standing on the same spot he was on, smirked and grabbed a few more cans with ease, placing them in the cart Kanda was using. The teen only scowled at it, knowing that the other was just trying to mock his supposedly smaller height. Well, it was better than being short like the moyashi was. Kanda moved over to the cart, pushing it out of the aisle to the cashier, ready to pay. He noticed that the prince was following him from behind, keeping only centimeters away from him. Damn guy didn't know what personal space meant.

"Hey Kanda, didn't see you at the masquerade last night. Didn't attend?" Tyki asked out of random as they reached the line to one of the cashiers. The teen started piling in the stuff he needed to buy, getting out his wallet from one of his many pockets on the butler uniform. He instantly tensed as the prince talked about the masquerade. No way in hell was he going to say that he was present, and dressed as a girl! It was enough of a blow to his pride getting in that _thing_ and dancing with that masked man. "No. Had to take care of the house." He lied easily, taking out the card his mother gave him when he went out to town as Tyki helped put the items on the table for the cashier to charge. "...I see." The prince responded blandly.

After a few tense minutes of silence and waiting, all of Kanda's groceries were packed in plastic bags as he paid the cashier. "Thank you for coming!" The girl behind the cashier cheered, though her voice cracked a bit as she spoke to Kanda. He was quite infamous for his temper and his katana around the town, taking pride in that status. He came over to Tyki as the man stood near the bags lying on the ground, bending over to reach for one. Kanda suddenly stopped his hand from advancing, glaring at him with his dark orbs. The Portuguese man was taken aback, but before he had a chance to ask, Kanda answered it for him. "You're a prince. You aren't supposed to be carrying bags."

Tyki looked quite shocked to hear that from Kanda. On the other hand, Kanda was also mildly shocked he was taking it easy on the prince. Even though he hated him, he still respected the prince's status as son of the king. He had more respect than what people credit him for.

"Prince or not, there are too many bags for you to carry. Besides, I'm doing this of my own free will." Tyki said as he took a bag from the pile, seeing Kanda stand with three bags in both of his hands. The younger of the two only gave a small 'che' before walking off to the exit. Grabbing the remaining bags in a hurry, Tyki followed the Japanese man out of the store, emerging into the bright rays of the sun high in the sky. Coming in step with Kanda, Tyki looked around as they walked past the crowds, before entering into a tailor shop. That sparked the prince's curiosity a little. "What are we doing here, Kanda?"

"Stop with the damn questions already. I'm getting the dress that I dropped off earlier. Damn sister insists on sewing it together rather than throwing it away." Kanda muttered, before turning his attention to the woman in the front desk, presenting her the card he was given earlier. The woman took it and went into the back, before emerging out again with a plastic bag in hand. The younger teen took it with a nod, before walking out of the place, Tyki following suite.

They walked the whole way to Kanda's mansion in silence, though Tyki had always given the teen random questions here and there. The butler had only shrugged it off, ignored it, or told him to shut up. Now that was rude of a butler to say to someone of high class. But the prince didn't mind the cold shoulder. In fact, it was better than having fans running after him.

When they reached where the butler lived, the sun was nearing to set in the horizon, alerting Tyki to the time. He wasted that much time? He didn't even recognize it until now. Heck, they hardly did anything except for the groceries and picking up the dress!

To the prince's surprise, he wasn't disappointed about it. At least he got to spend a bit of time with Kanda, even though it was short lived.

They paused at the front door to Kanda's house, where the male had dropped off the bags and turned to look at him. "You should go. You wouldn't want one of my half-sisters chasing you around the house." Kanda ordered, smirking as Tyki instantly placed his share of the bags down next to Kanda's pile. As much as he wanted to know about Kanda more, fans were one thing he did not want to meet at the moment.

"See you around then." Tyki said before turning on his heel and leaving the scene, heading for the direction of the castle.

* * *

***-**Here, Tyki doesn't speak Japanese. I know that. Decided to keep the name though, since I myself like to call Allen that. It means boy.

And the little flashback with Allen, Lavi, and Tyki was the time the two came to the castle. (The ages are mentioned before the flashback.)

You guys know what to do. Review!


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